iNeed a Hand to Hold
by RedRose207
Summary: OOC Sam/Seddie/Mrs. PuckettxOC.  Sam is tired of her mom's boyfriends.  As she tries to set her mother up, Sam can't deny her feelings for Freddie.  Even though Sam's love life has a possible good ending, will her mom's be the same?   "iGet A Boyfriend"
1. Good Enough For Her

_**Chapter One: Good Enough For Her**_

_Dear Diary,_

_ Whether Freddie likes me or not, it won't change a thing. He still loves (sickening…) Carly and he still tries (sadly…) to get with her, but she'll always say, "I like you to, Freddie!"_

_ He'll respond, "No, Carly. I LIKE you."_

_ She'll get that look on her face and reply with, "Oh…well, I'm sorry Freddie but I like you as a friend only."_

_ He continues being hopeful. "Please, Carly! Give me a chance!"_

_ She will never know what she's missing. She will never know what he could offer as she states with a little sympathy, "I'm sorry, Freddie."_

_ Defeat drips from his voice as he says with his head down, "Oh."_

_ Then she smiles, hugs, and walks off as if nothing ever happened. Why can't she see that he's perfect? Why can's she see that he's everything most girls want and need? Why can't he like me? _

_ I know why. I tease and poke fun at him. He doesn't know that every insult and torment is just to hide my real feeling, to hide my real self. I can trust you, Diary because…yes. Samantha Joy Puckett isn't as cruel and mean as she seems to be._

_ I'm not saying I'm soft. Heck no! I'm not like that perfectly, pink, and model perfection twin sister of mine. I'm not even close. AND OF COURSE I'M NOT LIKE CARLY! I'm not THAT soft. _

_ If I had to describe the first day when I started acting like…this I would start with the day I first met Freddie. That was the day I got my crush and found out that he was in love with Carly. The day that the only way I could stop them from getting too close was to be cruel._

_Write in you later,_

_ Samantha (Sam) Joy Puckett_

Sam closed the notebook and shoved it into her backpack before walking into the kitchen part of her and her mom's apartment. Her mom's current boyfriend, Jack, was sitting at the counter with a beer in his hand. He smiled at Sam with his yellow teeth visible behind his smile.

"Hey, Darling," he said.

Sam took a few steps back. She knew better than to say anything to her mom's "perfect" boyfriends after a bad experience with Dungeon, a fired rock star with anger management problems. Sam shivered at the remembrance of that night and sat down in the chair of the corner of the room. A light switch was next to the chair and she went to flick it up.

"Don't even try," Jack said. "Your mama hasn't paid that bill in over a month."

_Maybe that's because she's spending it all on beer and cigarettes to make YOU happy,_ Sam thought.

"Can't you talk?" Jack asked getting up and walking over to her. "Well, can't you?"

"I can," Sam said.

He leaned in closer and shoved the beer can towards her. "Take a sip."

"I'm too young."

Sam wasn't afraid of most people and didn't always enjoy rules, but she knew that after her dad left with Melanie she shouldn't mess with her mom's boyfriends. How did she figure this out? Well…let's just say that the whole scholarship thing was something that her mother and her agreed on saying. That was true. Melanie did have a scholarship. They just never mentioned that she got that because Mr. Puckett made sure she got one.

Well, as I already said Sam doesn't get scared easily. Once her dad left with Melanie, his so called _Favorite Child_, she watched her mom cry for days, weeks, possibly months. That's what made Sam so strong. She toughened her heart while her mom let hers bleed. She could never replace her father, while her mom tried to find that replacement.

She felt a stinging pain her scalp and cried out.

"Were you listening to me?" Jack yelled, pulling on her hair harder.

"Y-yes," Sam said remembering her mom's sayings.

Be nice to my boyfriends.

Always say yes to them.

Do not worry about me.

Leave if it gets to…difficult.

Everything I do is for you.

I will always love you.

"Well?" Jack said.

"Yes?" Sam asked.

"Are you going to take a sip or not?"

"I am."

He held the can to her mouth as she took a sip. The taste was strong and terrible. Sam heard Jack laugh as he let go of her hair and she stumbled into her mom's room. Her mom was lying on her bed. Her dyed black hair fell in a mess of tangles. Sarah Puckett sat up and a bruise was seen on her arm.

Sam crawled onto her mother's bed and kicked off her black Converse. They fell to the floor with a thud and Sarah jumped. Sam sat with her legs crossed on the purple, silk sheets. She ran her index finger across the material.

"I took a sip," Sam whispered, not wanting to startle her mom.

"I heard Jack yelling," Sarah whispered. "Do your friends know?"

Sam thought back to all the times she had told her friends how terrible or nasty her mom was, but in fact it was mostly the stuff her moms boyfriends did, or how her mom spent all her paychecks on her boyfriends and Sam's wellbeing. Sarah wasn't all that bad. She took care of those she cared about and those she couldn't care about.

Sam responded, "I told them that you yell at the cat and have hair under you arms."

Sarah chuckled and Sam smiled.

"That's…either Nicolai or Dungeon," Sarah said.

"It's Dungeon," Sam said. "Can Jack go? Can you find someone else, someone better?"

"He's coming home with money. You know we need that. Besides, I'm more concerned about you and that Benson boy."

Sam blushed. "Mom, there is nothing up with me and Freddie."

"There is. I can tell. That blush of yours says otherwise," Sarah said playfully as a door slammed.

Sarah jumped again and looked out of her bedroom door and noticed that Jack was gone. She smiled and went to the cabinets and pulled out a can of soup. Sam held out her hands to catch the can and the portable can opener her mom kept in her purse.

"You know the drill," Sarah said.

"Sneak into the teacher's lounge and heat it up? I know," Sam said heading to her room.

Sam shoved the can and can opener into her backpack and put her bag over her shoulders. She headed out the door and down the stairs to the streets of Seattle. The window to her mom's room was visible and she saw her mom giving a slight wave.

_If only there was someone good enough for her_, Sam thought.


	2. Freddie's First Look

**Chapter Two: Freddie's First Look**

_Dear Diary,_

_ Carly loves her new room. She's spent nearly an hour in it hugging her pillows and dancing around while listening to_ The Plain White T's_. I can still hear the song _Stop_ coming from her room. Freddie was busy with his newest technological thing. I think it's something that will allow Carly and I to do voiceovers for music videos and TV shows or whatever. I barely pay attention to that stuff anyway._

_Since Carly is busy getting ready for today's practice of iCarly, (Spencer painted her green for his human stoplight) and Freddie is working on his…thing, I suppose that now would be a good time to describe a little bit of what happened when Dad left. Freddie won't mind. I told him that I was writing down ways to torture him._

_ So, it happened a few years ago when Melanie and I were thirteen. We had a nice house and my mom had a good job (you can thank our economy for her having to find a new one). Melanie was with Dad somewhere and I was with Mom in the kitchen. Then Dad came in with Melanie who was jumping up and down like an idiot._

_ "I got a scholarship!" Melanie exclaimed._

_ Dad whispered something into Mom's ear before saying, "My little girl sure did. It took a while, but I always knew Melanie was the smart one."_

_ I pretended not to care and began listening to my pear-pod before Dad took it out of my hand and told me that if I spent more time reading instead of listening to mind numbing music, I could have gotten a scholarship. Mom took his arm and led him to the family room for one of their _discussions_. A few minutes later they came out and Mom took my hand and led me out the door. We stayed at a friend's house until we got a place of our own. I didn't see Dad or Melanie that much anymore, but I _had_ to take care of Mom._

_ Carly should be down any moment. I got to go._

_Samantha (Sam) Joy Puckett_

"Hey," Freddie said. "Do we get to do _Tech Time with Freddie _this time?"

"No," she responded. "No one wants to hear you blab about you're dumb technology. They'd rather burn themselves in hot oil."

Freddie rolled his eyes and continued to work with his machine. Out of the corner of his eyes he noticed that she had left her diary open on the beanbag before heading to Carly's room to see if she was ready yet. He stopped his work and went to the diary and picked it up to look at the cover. It had a picture of Sam and her mom taped on it. The picture was taken around four years ago. Freddie smiled at the non-menacing vibe that Sam seemed to have, but a look of question came across his face when he looked at the woman standing next to her.

Sarah's hair wasn't dyed back then. It was a light, chocolate brown color and fell in a set of waves just past her shoulders. There was no sign of abuse and she seemed to be truly happy. He never expected _her_ to be Sam's mom. The woman in the picture was sane and not as terrible as Sam had described her all those years. Why had Sam lied? When should he confront her? Would she kill him? Those were the questions that echoed through his mind.

He opened the cover and on the back of the cover was where Sam had taped another picture of her mom, taken only a few weeks ago. Under the picture these words had been written:

_Save. Protect. Love._

It wasn't before long that Freddie had begun reading the first diary entry. He didn't feel guilty at all. Sam had tortured him for all those years and her diary was the key to getting some embarrassing secret. She could have some secret fear or whatever, but it was then that he discovered something. It was simple passage that talked about how her mom began to change for her current boyfriends.

He was so busy reading that he didn't notice that Sam and Carly had come down. He knew when Sam took a chair, stood on it, and body slammed him onto the floor. Freddie cringed in pain when Sam put him in a headlock. Carly was able to pull her off and Freddie miraculously made it out with no injuries. You see, his mom had gave him padded clothing. Freddie got up and stumbled back as Sam got out of Carly's grip and snatched her diary up off the floor.

"How much did you read?" Sam demanded.

"J-just the first page," he stammered.

"I'm going to kill you!" she yelled. "How could you read my diary?"

"You have a diary?" Carly questioned, shocked.

Sam turned to glare at her before storming out Carly's house and broke into a run until she got back home. Her cell phone vibrated in her pocket and she answered it without looking at the caller id. It was Freddie. He was apologizing and truth-be-told, he sounded very honest about it. It wasn't his usual rushed apologies that were just an excuse to get her stop, this was actually sincere.

Sighing, she turned off her phone and opened the door to the apartment and saw her mom lying on the ground breathing heavily. There was some blood and Sam then saw Jack looming over her mother, obviously drunk. He smiled at her and stumbled forward as Sarah grabbed his ankle. Jack kicked her off and Sam ran down the hall then to the stairs to get to the policeman that lived on the first floor.

The policeman, Victor Blakely, knew Sam and Sarah well. He had often stopped Sarah's boyfriends when they left the building to question them. Victor was in the middle of getting his mail from the front desk of the apartment complex when Sam ran into him and started yelling stuff about Jack and her mom.

"Slow down, Samantha," Victor said. "What's wrong?"

"It's Jack! I came home and Mom was on the floor and Jack went to come after me!" she exclaimed. "My mom's hurt really bad! If only I had gotten there sooner then I…"

He cut her off. "Samantha, if you had gotten there sooner then Jack would have gone after you first and your mother would try to stop him. If she did that then he would have hurt her even more just so she would stop. Go inside."

Sam nodded and went down the hall to his apartment. Victor had given her a key in case of emergencies. He had given one to Sarah, but suspected that Jack or on the other ones had taken it. Sam walked inside and locked the door behind her. She didn't know what happened with Jack or Victor, but sooner or later she fell asleep on the bed in the extra room.

When she awoke, Victor was sitting in the chair near the bed. He told her that her mom would be back from the hospital tomorrow and that she should stay here tonight. Victor went to the dresser and pulled out a nightgown that had belonged to his daughter (before she had a graduation shopping spree and left her old clothes there) on his way out the door.

Sam changed into the nightgown and put her dirty clothes into the hamper in the corner of the room. She had spent the night in his house many times before and usually wore her old clothes again, but those clothes just reminded her of what happened. Sam got under the covers and slowly went to sleep.

**R*R**

The next morning Sam awoke and got out of bed. She didn't mind the nightgown or the color, which was a light pink. Sam ducked under the bed to pull out a duffle bag with her undergarments. Sarah had dropped them off at Victor's house the day after she told Sam that if anything happened she should go to him right away.

Victor never minded having Sam over. She reminded him of his own daughter, who had just started college in Washington. Besides, he had known Sarah for years and the only reason he lived in this complex was because Sarah had called him crying about what happened with her \

ex-husband. Sam and Sarah trusted him.

Sam got up and looked in the drawers and closet for something that she would usually wear. Her clothes usually came from secondhand shops or however her mom found her clothes, so finding something in a sea of designers was going to be hard. Thankfully, his daughter had a pair of _Guess_ shoes that looked like _Converse_. Sam paired that with skinny jeans, a black tank top.

She grabbed her backpack and walked out the door. Victor had gone to work early so Sam could easily head out without detection. A horn was heard and Carly rolled down the passenger side window as the car came to a stop.

Bn

"Where's your mom?" Carly asked. "Shouldn't she be taking to you school?"

_"She's in the hospital because she can't find anyone to love her."_

That's what she wanted to say, but instead Sam said, "She's shaving the cat."

"And she can't postpone that?" Spencer asked.

"We don't want to walk around with a half naked cat." Sam got into the car. "Trust me. It's not pretty."

Spencer and Carly dropped the subject as Sam took out her pear-pod and put on the song _According To You_ by _Orianthi_. It was a song that reminded Sam of her mother and gave her an idea. Perhaps Vincent was free Saturday night…


	3. Not Again

**Chapter Three: Not Again… **

_Dear Diary,_

_ My plan is coming along perfectly. I won't write much today since I have to find my mom something suitable, set up the apartment so it's romantic, and trick my mom into saying yes. Mom should be out in a few minutes. I got her to wash that stupid hair dye out._

_Samantha (Sam) Joy Puckett_

When Sarah got home Sam was very excited to see her. Victor had driven with Sam to pick her up from the hospital. That was when Sam asked the almighty question. _Will you go on a date with my mom this Saturday at Carly's house?_ Victor was more than shocked at the question since he almost drove into a stop sign after she said it. Sam was actually worried he would say no. If he did then her mom may date someone worse than all the others.

Victor didn't know what to say. How was he supposed to respond to his friend's daughter asking him to go on a date with her mom? So, he decided to just say yes. Sam was probably setting this up so her mom would have someone to talk to. It's not like it was a real date. Or was it?

That night Sarah washed the hair dye out of her hair. She walked into her bedroom and sat on the bed next to where Sam had seated herself. Sam had a shopping bag in her lap and looked down in it constantly at the dress. Tomorrow her mom would go on a date with Vincent. That's if she got her mom to say yes. She and Carly had gone shopping and Spencer was going to decorate his apartment. The only reason she had it at Carly and Spencer's was because they could bug it like how they did with Freddie's date and watch everything.

"What's in the bag, Sammy?" Sarah asked.

"I thought that you would want to go to Carly and Spencer's house. So I got you something to wear," she responded.

"Sweetie," Sarah said calmly. "After getting admitted into the hospital for a small cut…"

_Anything that causes you to bleed is NOT small,_ Sam thought.

"…and getting released this morning, I'm not in the mood," Sarah finished.

"But Spencer needs a model and he said that only you could do it. He needs you and only you. So you _have _to wear it."

"Oh, fine," Sarah said. She took the bag and headed to the bathroom. "How much did it cost?"

"Not much. The saleslady loves our show so she gave us a discount," Sam said, as her mom headed to the restroom.

A few minutes later, Sarah came out of the room in a black dress. Sam smiled widely. The doorbell rang and Sam rushed to get it. At the door was Spencer. He walked into Sarah's room and his jaw dropped. Sarah just laughed at Spencer when he called her _One Hot Mama_, but then questioned why he was there. Sam made up some excuse then shooed Spencer out of her house. When she went back into her mother's room, Sarah was ready.

**R*R**

"Wow, Sam," Carly said. "Is that really your mom?"

"Yeah," Sam responded, "why do you ask?"

"It's just that she's so pretty."

"And my mom can't be pretty?"

"No. It's just that whenever I see her it's usually the back of her head, or one of her boyfriends."

"So what exactly are you saying?" Sam demanded.

"Guys," Freddie interjected, "be quiet."

On the screen was Sarah and Victor. They were eating spaghetti tacos and Spencer was being there waiter for the night. They seemed to be having a good time, even though Victor got spaghetti sauce on his shirt. The night continued to go well until Sarah's cellphone rang. Looking at the caller id, Sarah ran out of the apartment.

Victor and Spencer looked at each other and ran after her.

"Not again…," Sam sighed.


	4. Benson Trouble

(I'm back!)

**Chapter Four: Benson Trouble**

_Dear Diary,_

_ I don't even want to think about what happened. It's bad enough that Mom bailed Jack out jail, but now he's even crazier than before. I didn't think that could happen but…_

Sam winced as she heard a crash.

…_apparently it's possible. After Mom ran out, she (as I said) bailed Jack out and as soon as we got in front of the apartment, he PUNCHED her! He freaking knocked her to the ground and kicked her in front of all of us, Carly, Freddie, Spencer, and even Victor! Victor was about to get the police over here, but Mom managed to stand. _

_ She was bleeding and a bruise was starting to form left cheek as she stood up and told Victor to just go. Victor started yelling at her as Freddie, Carly, and Spencer hurried into Spencer's car to leave. I wanted to leave with them, but I had to stand by my mom. I ended up begging Victor to leave and has he did he said, "Sarah, as much as I want to put this man behind bars, I won't, for your sake. Just remember who took care of you and Samantha all these years while your boyfriends beat you to the ground. Remember Torrence?"_

_ He left. I don't know who Torrence is, but my mom seemed to remember him. I got to go. Jack's coming._

_Samantha (Sam) Joy Puckett_

Sam tossed her diary into her backpack and rushed to lock her bedroom door. She was tired of all of this and knew she had to escape. Thoughts of her mom crossed her mind as she stuffed some clothes and shoes into the backpack and slung it over her shoulder. Despite saying that she was never going to leave her mom, Sam knew that she just had to. Her mom wouldn't do anything about what was going on and Sam knew this.

So, it wasn't surprising when Sam climbed out her window onto the fire escape and climbed down the many floors. Her shoes clanked with each step she took and the clanking was replaced with the sound of crunching glass. The glass was from the sound of the broken shards of glass that had fallen when Jack busted with the window with her bedside lamp. He screamed at her to come back, but his screams stopped when another crash was heard.

Sam continued to run down the Seattle streets. She didn't know where she was going to go. Carly's apartment sounded good, maybe Freddie's, but it was too far and the streets were dangerous. Speaking of dangerous, Sam could hear footsteps following her. She ran faster, but the footsteps picked up speed as a hand grabbed her arm and she was pulled into an alleyway. _Just my rotten luck_, she thought as her name was called out.

The person who grabbed her was Freddie. Freddie? Why was he following her? Why was he out at this time of night? Wasn't his mother freaking out and threatening to call the police, the FBI, and whoever could find her "baby" boy? These questions were all going through Sam's head, but new questions emerged as he kissed her.

He KISSED her?

_He KISSED me?_ Sam thought. The same person called out her name again. _Did Freddie just…kiss me…?_

"Samantha?" Mrs. Benson called out. "Freddie? Did you catch her?"

_What does she mean _did you catch her_? _Sam thought. _What's going on?_

As if reading her thoughts, Freddie said, "My mom was driving me to the drug store for some ointment. She said it would cure my _raging hormones_. I noticed you running as we passed. Sorry for freaking you out…"

"Sorry for freaking me out?" Sam repeated. "You made me think I was going to be raped or something!"

"I know, I know. Don't kill me!" He winced a little. "Um… are you okay?"

Sam was starting to feel a little dizzy from the kiss. No. It wasn't dizziness that she felt, but she did feel something. Sure, she felt something when they kissed, but they promised to never speak of it again. That kiss was supposed to be nothing; it was just a way to get their first kiss out of the way. It was nothing, unlike this one.

Mrs. Benson called out again and showed up in the alley with Mace, pepper spray, a purse fully loaded with a book entitled _The Single Mom's Guide to Self Defense Volumes One Through Ten_. Her eyes went wide and her jaw dropped after seeing how close her son and Sam were. Now, she was determined that Freddie needed that ointment for his raging hormones…

**To be continued…and when I say that I mean I'll get back to you guys ASAP…**


	5. Back to Where He Came

(The quotes are from actual episodes. They are "iPromote Techfoots", "iMust Have Locker 239", and "iStart A Fan War")

**Chapter Five: Back to Where He Came**

_Dear Diary,_

_ Mrs. Benson is going to hurt me. She's been staring at me the whole ride to her house and I can easily read her thoughts. They probably are:_

"_Ooh…that Puckett girl has really done it now! Not only does she turn my Freddie into some girl-crazy hooligan, but now she doesn't show any hospitality. I work hard to cook a decent meal for her and try to be the kind and caring mother she never had, and what does she do? She won't accept any of my kindness. All she does is mope, but…maybe her mother did something. I need to call child services this instant!"_

"I need to call child services this instant!" Mrs. Benson said, looking at Sam.

"What?" Sam asked. "Why?"

"I bet this is all your mother's fault that you were running away in the middle of the night," Mrs. Benson continued. "What has she done to you? Has she hurt you…_touched_ you…?"

"No! She's a good mom!"

"Then how do you explain all the rotten stuff you said she does. I believe you said…" Mrs. Benson pulled out a list of things Sarah has done. "…and I quote, 'My mom doesn't feed me…'"

"But…" Sam tried.

"…'My mom just had laser eye surgery this afternoon and she's coming to pick me up...', and when your mother did feed you, she gave you a Fat Cake, some packets of hot sauce, a can of Chugg n' Buzz? Anyway, she also gave you a _C_ battery and paprika."

There was no use trying to go against Mrs. Benson, not because she was right, but mainly because she was persistent that way. Sam knew the truth about her mom, and she wished that she could tell Mrs. Benson, but something told her not to. She could always try to tell Freddie, but would he listen after all those years of torment she put him through. He did kiss her after all when he didn't have to. That must mean something. Shouldn't it?

Sam just sighed. There was no way that she was going to get out of this one, at least, not by herself. _If only I had knight in shining armor_, Sam thought. _That's never going to happen. The chances of that happening are slim to none._

The chances of a knight in shining armor are usually slim to none, but no one said anything about a Freddie in shining skin. Freddie emerged from his bedroom in a t-shirt and pajama pants. His hair was slick from just taking a shower, and the ointment made his skin shine. The muscles that he had were VERY visible in his semi-clingy shirt. Sam tried to stop herself from staring, but she failed.

He looked at his mother with a raised eyebrow seeing as he heard the whole conversation from his bedroom. The look of displease on his face was something that Mrs. Benson was used to, but it was usually toward her antics, not her. Sam got up from the couch and walked towards Freddie. She was shocked that he cared that much for her. She was positive that Freddie would NEVER stand up for her, but maybe there was something in him that made him care.

You know it's obvious that he likes her, right?

Anyway, Sam retreated to his bedroom with Freddie following her and closing the door behind him. He apologized for his mom's overreacting and he put his hand on the top of hers. Sam blushed slightly, for she wasn't going to make it obvious to Freddie that she liked him. Even though it's SO obvious that he liked her.

"Sam," he said seriously. "About your mom…"

"What about her?" Sam asked.

"I saw what that man did to her, and I know my mom overreacts, but has she ever hurt you?" He looked at her intently. "You can tell me, Sam. I promise."

"She's never done anything," she responded. "Don't think I'm lying. It is true. It's just those stupid boyfriends of hers. Jack's been the worst that I've seen, and I don't know much about this Torrence guy is. He must have been bad because my mom's face went pale. Oh wait! You don't know who Torrence is either. Do you?"

He shook his head. "No."

"I think he was my mom's first boyfriend. I'm not so sure."

"You probably do. It could just be your mind trying to block out any bad memories. Now, you promise me that your mom has NEVER done anything to hurt you? I know I usually shouldn't care; it's just that I really like you Sam. I know I've said that I like Carly, but I was fooling myself all this time." He paused. "I suppose I was just saying that I liked Carly to get over the fact that you could never like me."

"Freddie," Sam began, "I do like you, a lot actually."

She smiled before kissing him. It lasted for…one…two…three…four…five…yeah! It lasted about five seconds before they broke apart. Sam felt that dizziness again and she smiled a very goofy smile at Freddie who was also smiling a little goofily. They smiled that way at each other for a while until Freddie broke the silence.

"Why did you run away?" Freddie asked.

"Jack was about to come after me. He was probably done with my mom. Do you think she's okay?"

"I hope so." He glanced at his cellphone. "Do you think you can call her?"

"Jack will probably answer."

"We can call the cops," Freddie suggested. "My mom has them on speed dial."

"No." Sam shook her head. "Mom will just bail him out every time."

A knock was heard at the door and Mrs. Benson screamed. Freddie and Sam ran to the next room and saw, to their surprise, Sarah leaning against the doorframe. Her hair was messed up and bruises were seen on her body. Sarah clutched her side and pulled her hand away to reveal blood. Jack had stabbed her.

She stumbled forward and Mrs. Benson led her to a chair. Sarah slumped into the chair as Mrs. Benson hurried to call the hospital. Sam turned her head. She couldn't bear to see her mother like this and hurt too much to see her like this. Freddie was also stunned. Why had Sam never mentioned this before? Was she too ashamed to ask for help?

"Sammy," Sarah said weakly. "He's gone. I got him out of the house. Jack is gone."

"You're just going to find someone worse!" Sam yelled behind tears. "Who is Torrence, anyway?"

"The man I dated before marrying your father." She gave a weak laugh. "I could never pick good men."

"Okay," Mrs. Benson interrupted. "The paramedics are on their way. Now let's see what I can do in the meantime…"

"Don't bother," Sarah said. "I'll be fine. Sammy?"

Sam looked at her mother. "Yes?"

"Call Victor, for me. He'll be so pleased to use those handcuffs and gun of his."

The paramedics soon arrived and Sarah was transported to the hospital. Sam clung to Freddie and cried. She cried for the three years her mom's been through that agony and she cried in hopes that her mother would never have to go through it again.

**I MAY end this in the next chapter, but I could always keep on going…anyway, I PROMISE I will be back after the holidays. Happy holidays and happy new years!**


	6. A Fatal Ending

(Happy New Years)

**Chapter Six: A Fatal Ending**

_Dear Diary,_

_ I'm in the waiting room. Freddie has his arm around me (I'm blushing like crazy), while Mrs. Benson is worrying. I don't exactly know what she's saying, but it's probably something like:_

_ "How come she never told us? We could have helped her?"_

"How come she never told us?" Mrs. Benson asked Sam. "We could have helped her?"

_I know Mrs. Benson too well, I suppose. WAY too well._

"I would have given her money and a few necessities," Mrs. Benson continued. "Why didn't you say anything?"

The _you_ was directed towards Sarah's unconscious body in her hospital room.

"I'm not sure," Sam responded thinking the question was for her. She brushed a hand through her hair. "I guess I was scared about what her boyfriends would do. Mom was scared too. As much as I loved her, I was always angry at her because it was all her fault that we were living with these jerks."

Freddie spoke up. "Well, you can stay with us until she gets out."

Sam smiled at him. "Thanks for the offer, but I'll be fine with Victor."

Speak of the cop. Victor burst through the doors, out of breath and panting heavily. His brown hair stuck to his forehead from sweat and his green eyes scanned the waiting room for Sam. Finally, he found her and he walked over and sat in the chair on her left. Freddie was on her right, by the way.

Victor leaned back in the chair, his eyes looking slightly dazed as he tilted his head back. He was in casual wear: tennis shoes, jeans, a white shirt, and a black leather jacket. In the inside of the jacket, Sam thought that she may have seen a gun. For some reason as Sam looked at him, she wondered what would happen if they got married.

Sam let her imagination run a bit wild as she pictured walking down the aisle with Melanie by her side, keeping her eyes on Victor. He would be a bit nervous, I suppose, but also excited. The dress would probably be irritating her and the heels wouldn't be helping with her discomfort. Even so, she would deal with it for her mother.

The thought of her mother marrying again gave Sam a nervously good feeling. She knew that Victor would not be like Jack, Torrence, or all the other guys, and yet she would still worry. _He won't be like them_, Sam thought. _Victor is a really nice guy and it is so obvious Mom likes him. She makes it VERY obvious_.

The doctor who was examining Sarah emerged. His eyes looked downcast and a frown was seen on his face. His expression made Sam worry and she was wondered if something was wrong. Her worry overtook her and she couldn't form the words to ask him the question she was dying to know. Victor asked the doctor for her.

"Is she alright?" Victor asked Dr. Marls. "You are the doctor that was examining Ms. Sarah Puckett?"

"Yes, I am." Dr. Marls glanced at his clipboard to lose eye contact with the officer. "I'm afraid that the amount of abuse she suffered was fatal." He met Victor's eyes. "You weren't the one who caused this abuse, Sir?"

Victor held out his badge. "No. I'm Officer Victor Blakely. I arrested the men causing Ms. Puckett harm."

"Oh," Dr. Marls said, signifying an apology. "Now, what is your relation to Ms. Puckett?"

This question was directed towards Sam, Freddie, and Mrs. Benson.

"I'm her daughter," Sam said, trying to fight back tears. "This is my friend and his mother."

**R*R**

The funeral was nice. It took place in Sarah's home town. Melanie was in a fit of hysterics at the funeral, but Sam cried the most. Mr. Puckett was upset and comforted his daughters. Sam clutched onto Victor and cried, staining his suit. Victor soothed her as well as she could.

**R*R**

_ Years later, a twenty-five year old Sam stood at her mother's gravestone. It was raining and a swarm of mist swarmed around the graveyard. Tears were in her eyes, making her mascara run. It could have been the headache from crying, the rain, or the mist, but Sam saw her mother. _

_ The figure was blurry, yet visible. She smiled and walked (floated?) over to her daughter and put her hands on Sam's shoulders and before she disappeared into the mist, she said, "I love you, Sammy." _


End file.
